by Marta Brown
“I wouldn’t if I were you,” I say to Emily, who’s so far off the bag, if I had the ball I could reach out and tag her.
“I bet there’s a lot you wouldn’t do.” She winks. “Mr. Goodie-two-shoes-stickler-for-the-rules.”
She’s right, but for the first time it feels heavy on my shoulders. The burden of always following the rules. I shake the thought off as quickly as it came, remembering exactly what happens when you don’t.
“I prefer Hottie Mchottieface, but whatever.” I shrug, as Emily’s face flames redder than the now faded tips of her hair.
The dull thud of a bunt pulls me back into the game. I knew it. The sacrifice.
As the third baseman rushes the ball I move into his position to protect the base, keeping my attention divided between Emily advancing on me, and him throwing me the ball. When he does, it hits my glove with enough heat behind it that it stings my palm.
Ignoring the familiar pain, I reach out and attempt to tag Emily, but instead, end up on top of her in a tangle of legs and arms, thanks to her sliding feet first into the base and sweeping my legs out from underneath me.
The rush of the play makes my heart rate rise, but it’s the feel of Emily’s body beneath mine, and our lips just inches apart, that makes it thunder.
A tiny voice in my head whispers, ‘screw the rules,’ but it’s the shout of the ump that snaps me out of it right before I act. “You’re out.”
Barely registering our win, I scramble up, and let the ball, tucked tightly in my glove, drop to the ground with a thud, unable to focus on anything besides the fact I almost kissed Emily in front of everyone.
Shit.
She might be the one out…but I’m the one in trouble.
…
“Dude, let’s go,” Todd says from behind me, turning on his flashlight and illuminating the dusty trail to the counselor’s campfire. “I have a fly honey waiting on me.”
“Sure you do,” I snort, wishing I could shake this kid and his incessant chatter for a few hours. But no such luck since he’s my junior counselor.
Up ahead, the trees begin to thin and even in the distance I can see the fire, stacked high with wood and burning brightly is casting a warm glow on Emily’s smiling face.
Emily? What’s she doing here?
“What-up?” Todd booms as we break out of the tree line and into the small campsite, set up with benches surrounding the roaring fire.
Emily’s eyes connect with mine for a brief second before Todd plops down in the empty space next to her on the bench and drapes his arm over her shoulder. “There’s my girl.”
His girl? Seriously? My gut twists. I thought all his talk about Emily back at the cabin a few nights ago was just bravado. Clearly, I was wrong.
“Hey, you,” the blonde girl I met at last night’s campfire purrs, patting the space on the bench next to her and giving me a flirty smile. “Nice game today.”
“Uh, thanks,” I say, sitting. “It’s Jennifer, right?”
“Yeah, but you can call me Jenny.” She giggles, leaning her shoulder into mine. I give her a tight lipped smile before letting my eyes fall back to Emily and Todd. “Oh, have you met my junior counselor, Emily, yet?”
Ah. That explains it. She’s a junior counselor.
Although, it doesn’t explain why she hasn’t been here the last few nights—unless maybe she was trying to avoid me—which by the scowl she’s giving me, might actually be the case.
“Wait.” Jenny laughs, touching my arm. “Silly me. Of course you know her. You practically saved her life.”
Practically?
“Hey, I helped, too,” Todd chimes in, shooting Emily a proud look, which I have to keep from scoffing at. More like you helped drag her face down through the water, which is not really helping. But, thanks.
“Yeah, I know Emily. CPR will do that,” I joke, trying to get a reaction out of her, other than the daggers she’s shooting in me and Jenny’s direction. “But luckily there haven’t been anymore incidents requiring mouth to mouth. Since I’m sure that’s the last thing she wants. Right?”
I can’t help the smirk that spreads across my face when she chokes on a sip of her drink. She recovers quickly, clearing her throat. “You got that right,” she shoots back, but we both know it’s a lie.
“I’d be happy to give you some mouth to mouth.” Todd pulls Emily closer to his side, sending my smirk falling and my blood pressure rising. How can she be into this guy?
I pull my eyes away from the meaty hand touching her bare shoulder—the same shoulder I was kissing a few nights ago—and find Emily looking back at me, but this time a faint smile plays on her lips.
What kind of game is she playing? One minute she’s telling me how badly she wants me, and then the next she’s reveling in this meat-head’s attention. And now—she’s smiling at the fact it’s driving me nuts.
It’s like she’s trying to make me jealous on purpose. And it’s working.
I smile back. Two can play at that game.
I lean in and whisper to Jenny to test my theory, and I’m rewarded with Emily’s knuckles turning white as she wraps her hand tight around the neck of her drink before finally sloughing off Todd’s arm from around her shoulders. Bingo.
Todd hardly notices as he high fives a guy who’s just arrived. Emily glances up and her face brightens. “Dave!” she says happily as the new guy leans down and wraps his arms around her waist, lifting her up and crushing her in a giant hug.
He sets her back down on the bench and takes a seat on her other side. “How’s my girl?”
You’ve got to be kidding me. How many guys is she seeing?
“Better now,” she says, wrapping her arms around his waist and giving him another hug.
“And how about now?” a cute girl with short blond hair says, dropping a small bag in Emily’s lap from behind her, before laying a kiss on the new guy.
Some of the tension I didn’t even realize I was holding in my shoulders releases as I dial down my jealousy. Clearly I don’t need to worry about this guy, too.
Too? I shouldn’t be worrying about any of them. Remember? She’s off limits. Against the rules. And probably not eighteen.
Emily peers at the festive multicolored bag in her lap and then unexpectedly up at me. I furrow my brows at her until I see the big block letters stamped across the bag. Happy Birthday. Yes.
“Open it! Open it!” The short haired girl says excitedly as she squeezes in between Emily and the guy I assume is her boyfriend. “It’s from me and Dave.”
Emily fidgets with the tissue poking out of the top of the bag. “You guys didn’t have to do this.”
“We know it’s late, but you didn’t really think we weren’t going to get you a present for your—”
“Thank you!” Emily shouts, cutting Dave off from saying which birthday she’s celebrating.
Damn it, she’s good.
Emily pulls out a wad of tissue paper, peeks in the bag, and starts to laugh. “Funny. Thank you, guys,” she says before giving her friend a hug.
“Use them wisely,” Dave advises, leaving me wondering what in the world she got. And apparently Todd feels the same way since he snatches the gift bag from Emily’s lap, digs his hand in, and pulls out a wad of scratch tickets and a voter registration form.
He looks confused by the random gifts.
Me? Not so much.
I can’t stop the smile that flashes across my face.
“Happy Eighteenth Birthday, Emily.”
Chapter 13
Emily
The sexy smirk playing on Tyler’s lips after wishing me a happy birthday is almost worth him knowing the truth about my age.
Almost.
I stuff the lottery tickets and voter pamphlets back in the bag and narrow my eyes at him and the smug look on his face. The same smug look he wore earlier today after tagging me out stealing third.
I cross my arms. At least all week I had the satisfaction of knowing he was worried
I wasn’t old enough to be kissed, which helped make my admission a few days ago on the dock about wanting him, a little less embarrassing.
“I uh, didn’t know it was your birthday,” Todd says, bumping his shoulder into mine, his musky aftershave overwhelming my senses. In a bad way.
“That’s cool.” I smile, scooting away from him to catch a breath of air that won’t burn my nose hairs. “It was before we got to camp.”
Todd leans in even closer than before—clearly not getting the hint—and I have to hold my breath. “Maybe I can make it up to you later.” His stale whisper washes across my face, and causes me to shiver. Again, in a bad way. And, um, no.
“Ooooh, let’s play truth or dare,” Jenny squeals, interrupting Todd by clapping excitedly. “The birthday girl can go first,” she offers and I wonder if this is a plan to block Todd from flirting with me. Which it does, so thank you, Jenny.
“Okay, let’s see…” I scan the crowd, deciding who will have to choose first.
My eyes stop on Tyler, or maybe I haven’t actually pulled them away from him in the first place; either way, I can’t stop the devious smile that breaks across my face.
Dropping his eyes to the ground and rubbing the back of his neck with the palm of his hand, I let out a soft laugh. Just because you’re not looking at me, doesn’t mean I don’t see you.
“Tyler. Truth or dare?”
Tyler lifts his head and meets my gaze, a mixture of amusement and worry clouds his features. “Truth?” he says like it’s a question and not an answer. I smile bigger. I’d hoped he’d choose truth and he senses it. “I mean, dare.”
“Sorry. No changing,” Jenny says, scooting even closer to Tyler, which is tough considering she’s already practically in his lap. “But don’t worry,” she murmurs, “truths are always pretty tame.”
My face must betray me somehow, because after a quick glance between me and Jenny, Tyler gives me a wicked smile and then drapes his arm over her shoulder.
Ugh. I swear he’s trying to make me jealous. But too bad for him it’s not working. Is it?
My heart picks up speed at the sight of Jenny tucked under Tyler’s arm as he waits for my question, and I think I may have just answered my own. Damn it. It’s working. I’m jealous.
“All right, fine. Truth,” Tyler says.
I stuff down my jealousy at the way Jenny is leaning her body into Tyler’s touch, remembering how it felt to be wrapped in his arms not so long ago, and plaster back on my smile.
“So, Tyler,” I say innocently, like I don’t already know the answer—unless he’s been busy with more extracurriculars than just job shadowing and baseball. “When was the last time you kissed a girl?”
Tyler doesn’t even flinch at my question, instead he looks at Jenny and then back to me. “The last time I kissed someone was a few days ago, but the truth is, I wanted to earlier today but didn’t get the chance.”
He shrugs like the kiss a few days ago with me barely even registered in his memory. And what the hell was that look he gave Jenny right before answering? Is that who he wanted to kiss earlier?
Wishing I could drown the jealously twisting in my stomach I snatch the beer Todd is drinking out of his hand and take a swig. I guess that explains why Jenny was so intent on going and watching Tyler, and his ‘crazy kissable lips’, play baseball today.
“Okay, it’s your turn,” Jenny says to Tyler, before taking a sip of her wine cooler, which I bet tastes a whole hell of a lot better than the warm beer I hand back to Todd. Uck.
“All right, right back at’cha, kiddo,” Tyler says to me, emphasizing his choice of nicknames.
I purse my lips. “Truth.”
Tyler smiles. “Same question.”
“When was the last time I kissed a girl? That’s easy. Never.”
“That’s not what I meant. When was the last time you kissed a guy?”
I shoot him a smug grin. “Sorry, next time you should be more clear about what you’re asking. Next.”
“Come on, Em. Tell me,” Tyler says, the words ‘tell me’ rolling off his tongue in the same low, soft cadence they did on the dock a few mornings ago. It sends a shiver up my spine, the same way it did then, and I feel my face flush at his subtle reminder.
Embarrassed over my want for him, when I can’t quite tell where he stands, I blurt out a lie. “Earlier today, actually.”
Tyler’s face drops for a fraction of a second before he pastes a smile back on. But it looks as forced as mine feels.
Is it possible he’s a little jealous, too?
Good. That’s what he gets for rubbing it in my face that he wants to hook up with Jenny Osborne.
“Boring,” Todd booms. “Let’s get to the dares, already.”
“All right,” Lucy says, looking past me at Todd. “Truth or dare?”
Todd rubs his hands together excitedly before taking off his sweatshirt and revealing a neon green shirt with the sleeves cut off, making it more of a tank top than anything. “Duh. Dare.”
“Fine. I dare you to…moon the campfire.”
“Done.” Todd jumps up, turns his back to the fire, and drops his shorts just below his butt. He wiggles his bare ass towards the flames, making me glad for the first time tonight I’m sitting next to him and not across the fire where Tyler and Jenny have a direct line of sight to the full-monty.
I spit out the sip I was taking and bust out laughing. Is this guy serious? It’s like we’re down at the tadpole camp again and he’s ten.
Jenny giggle-screams before tucking her head into Tyler’s neck, and all of a sudden, I’ve lost the humor in it all.
“Next,” I say loudly, causing Todd to pull up his shorts and flop back on the bench.
“My turn,” Todd bellows. “Okay, Jenny—Truth or dare?” Todd’s question forces Jenny to unbury her face from Tyler’s neck. So, maybe I don’t dislike Todd as much as I thought I did.
“Dare,” she says, acting timid, which causes me to roll my eyes.
“Kiss Tyler.”
“What?” Tyler and I say at the exact same time, earning us a weird look from Jenny, Todd, and Lucy, too.
“A dare’s a dare—and don’t act like you don’t want to, bro,” Todd says, burping the word ‘bro,’ and making me cringe. What the hell was I thinking last year?
Tyler shifts uncomfortably when Jenny turns her head, closes her eyes, and moves in for a kiss. My stomach ties in a knot. Is he seriously going to kiss her? Right here? In front of me?
As I’m about to get up and grab a beer of my own from the ice chest to avoid watching Tyler and Jenny make out, Tyler grabs Jenny’s face, pulls her towards him and plants a kiss directly on her cheek as a chorus of girl counselors around the fire let out a collective, “Ahhhhhhh.”
Jenny blushes when Tyler pulls away. “Omg. You are so sweet,” she coos, triple knotting the pit in my stomach because he is sweet, and hot, and smart, and by the looks of it…totally into her.
…
A few more truths are exposed, and a whole lot more dares fly around the campfire as the moonings become streakings and the simple kisses become full on make out sessions.
Luckily, I’ve squeaked by with only one truth, and even better, Tyler has had no more dares. Jenny, on the other hand, looks less happy about that fact.
“The truth?” Todd drops his head into his hands at the question from cabin twelve’s counselor, Mark. “Well, I guess it’s my math teacher,” he answers, admitting to the group she’s the girl he fantasizes about the most. “But she’s super hot for an old lady—I swear,” he says as everyone laughs.
“That’s just wrong,” Dave says, wrapping his arms tight around Lucy, and nipping at her neck. “But, then again, I guess I get the whole ‘hot for teacher’ thing.”
“You better behave, or I’ll send you straight to detention, young man.” Lucy teases and the spark between them is as bright as it always has been.
“Get a room, Luve,” I shout kiddingly at my favorite camp co
uple, using their ‘celebrity couple’ camp-name-mash-up—which Lucy loves, for obvious reasons— and which fits them perfectly since they’re the only real couple I know who’s still in love.
Unlike my parents, Bob and Pam, whose name mash would be Bam. As in— “Bam, our marriage is over.” A lump crawls up my throat, and I stuff it back down quickly. For now.
“A room sounds like a good idea.” Dave makes a big show of wagging his eyebrows as he moves to stand up. Lucy shakes her head, pulls him back onto the bench, and plants a kiss on his lips. Apparently, no room necessary.
“All right, little Em,” Dave says, when he and Lucy finally peel themselves apart. “It’s your turn, again. Truth or dare?”
Afraid I’ll be asked who I’ve been fantasizing about lately, I close my eyes and hope I don’t regret my choice. “Dare.”
“I dare you to walk in the woods…with Todd.” My eyes fly open. Walk in the woods? Camp Champ’s equivalent to seven minutes in heaven. With Todd? Why would Dave do this to me?
My heart picks up speed as I glance around the fire. First at Dave, who winks at me, followed by Lucy who is smiling so big she looks ready to burst, and it dawns on me. They both think I’m still into Todd. Oh, this is bad.
“Hell, yeah!” Todd says, jumping up off the bench, and tucking his ridiculous shirt into his board shorts, like he’s getting ready for a real date.
I try and formulate an excuse—any excuse—to not take the dare, but I come up short besides saying, “Ewwww, boys have cooties,” like a fourth grader. But in Todd’s case that may be true.
“Have fun you two,” Tyler says after clearing his throat, but his light hearted words don’t seem to match the look in his eyes, or the death grip he has on the bottle of beer he’s holding. “Just don’t take too long. Light’s out in thirty minutes,” he directs at Todd, but it somehow feels more like a power play than a reminder of the rules.
“Wow, I can’t believe it’s so late already,” Jenny says to Tyler, standing up. She drops her hand down in front of his face. “Walk me back?”
“Uh, yeah, sure.” He stands and dusts off the dirt from the back of his shorts. And just the thought of Tyler and Jenny doing their very own ‘walk in the woods’ makes my blood boil hotter than the flames of the campfire shooting high into the cool night sky.